A teenage hiker has died after being hit by lightning while taking shelter during a thunderstorm.
The 19-year-old man, who has not yet been identified, was huddled inside the metal hut known as the ‘Tin Shack’ on the peak of Mount Timpanogos in Utah with nine others early on Friday morning.
Lightning then hit the structure, killing the man and leaving all nine others with injuries.
Hikers alerted authorities at around 6am on Friday, the Daily Herald reported.
Emergency responders rushed to the top of the mountain and tried to save the man’s life but he was pronounced dead shortly after.
The rescue mission had ‘significant challenges’ due to the wild weather and the mountain peak’s remote location, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) said.
The weather had gotten bad due to the Utah moutains. The lighting injured the hiker but the young man did not survive
‘The Utah County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young man who lost his life,’ a UCSO spokesperson said in a statement.
‘We also recognize the efforts of the hikers and rescuers who assisted those who were injured during this incident.’
Taylor Ehat, a photographer watching the thunderstorm on Friday, snapped a photo of a lightning strike near the time the man was killed.
‘The very first photo I set up to take was this shot that I got – the lightning striking at like 6.20am,’ he told NBC 15.
‘The whole day I’ve been showing it off, and then I learned the unfortunate news that somebody was killed.’
Ehat added that his teenage daughter was planning to also hike the mountain before deciding against it due to the weather.
‘It hits close to home. I’m very sad that this individual lost their life,’ he said.
The 19-year-old man was hiking with a group of nine. They took shelter in the ‘tin shack’ when the thunderstorm struck
The sheriff’s office also warned hikers to take precautions before setting off on a hike, and to make sure they checked the forecast.
‘If you hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Hikers should immediately move away from exposed ridgelines, peaks and other elevated areas and seek substantial shelter when possible.
‘Small structures such as sheds, shelters and similar buildings do not provide adequate protection from lightning.
‘The safest locations are substantial, fully enclosed buildings or an enclosed, hard-topped vehicle.’
Mount Timpanogos, popularly known as Timp, is the second-highest mountain in Utah’s Wasatch Range and is a popular hiking spot.
The death marks the second fatal lightning strike in the area this year. A 59-year-old man was struck and killed at the American Forks Twin Peaks in July.
